Wall block - a modern material that allows you to build strong walls in a short period of time. Therefore, today he is a leader in the construction of any structures, including country houses and cottages.
What are wall concrete blocks?
Concrete wall blocks are a durable material, but it has low heat efficiency. Therefore, during the construction of a residential building, they are put together with a heater. The latter may be facing brick, decorative stone, plaster and the like.
As a rule, the standard size of the blocks is 20 x 20 x 40. These parameters are optimal for convenience in the laying of this material, and also allow you to finish the object in a short construction time.
Due to its voidness, the wall block allows any structural solution to be completed. With their help, it is easy to erect walls, as well as quickly, evenly and efficiently lay corners.
Types of concrete wall blocks
In the modern construction market, you can find a large amount of material for the construction of private houses, cottages, garages and other structures. The best option, as we have already mentioned, is a wall block. Let’s now try to understand the concept of “concrete wall blocks”.
This material is divided into two categories:
- hollow blocks (those that have through or through voids);
- full blocks (those that have no voids).
If we compare these two types, then solid blocks are used during the construction of a multi-storey building. This is due to their greatest strength. For the construction of a one-story house, you can use hollow blocks. But if a large load is planned on a wall in the future, then in this case the voids of the block are filled with mortar or concrete.
What should I look for when choosing wall concrete blocks?
As a rule, when a consumer chooses wall blocks, prices are the main criterion for his final choice. Unfortunately, buyers neglect the technical indicators, trying to save on housing construction ..
In addition to the hollowness, about which we spoke above, it is necessary to pay attention to the frost resistance of the material. This characteristic is indicated by the letter F. When buying concrete blocks, you need to ask about this indicator. It can range from F15 to F200.
The frost resistance of blocks implies the ability to maintain their primary characteristics (in this case, strength) during significant jumps in temperature and moisture. Many of you have probably seen that the wall or corner of a newly built house after a few years in the springtime began to crumble or crumble. This suggests that the frost resistance is very low. Thus, experts recommend not saving and stopping your choice on the material and the largest number F.
Concrete Wall Block Reviews
Today, the greatest demand among builders is concrete wall blocks. Prices for this material are the lowest (from 38 rubles per 1 block), in addition, concrete blocks have a number of positive characteristics that sound in customer reviews.
First, concrete is a non-combustible material. It perfectly resists even open fire.
Secondly, concrete blocks have high sound insulation, which is noted in the reviews. Thus, any structures can be built from them.
Thirdly, modules and parts from any other materials can be attached to a wall of concrete blocks.
Fourth, this material is considered environmentally friendly. It is believed that the concrete block of the wall "breathes", so in the future "living" house you will feel comfortable.
And the last important moment is a good thermal insulation. Although expert reviews recommend that walls from such a block be clad with brick or other material.
According to this, it can be concluded that wall concrete blocks are an excellent option for building an inexpensive high-quality country house.
Other types of wall blocks
Thanks to technological progress, various materials for masonry walls have appeared in construction stores today . It was not limited to concrete wall blocks. Over the past decade, their varieties have become much larger. All of them differ in their characteristics, as well as in the price category.
So, in addition to concrete, today it is worth noting such wall blocks:
- aerated concrete;
- gas silicate;
- expanded clay concrete;
- polystyrene concrete;
- foam blocks.
All these materials are also in great demand in the modern construction market, as are concrete blocks. But still, they have more positive points. First of all, this applies to greater thermal conductivity and sound insulation. Secondly, they all fit on a very thin layer of mortar or special glue, which makes the process of laying them less time-consuming. In addition, it is worth considering that all this material has ideal angles. Therefore, in order to drive out a perfectly flat wall, it is necessary to make plumb and to customize everything under them.
It is also worth adding that after the construction of the house, the internal walls of aerated concrete or silicate, for example, are not required to be plastered. In order to give them smoothness, just apply a few layers of putty.
The only negative of these types of block is the cost. The price of this material is high. Therefore, not everyone can afford to buy them.
Wall block production
Each type of block has its own production method. Foam concrete and gas silicate are cellular wall blocks. Cement, water, sand and foam are used during the production of foam concrete. As for gas silicate, it consists of quartz sand, water, cement, lime and fine aluminum chips (it is needed as a blowing agent).
After the formation of any wall blocks, they need to give time to dry. If the foam concrete dries naturally, then autoclave conditions are necessary for gas silicate blocks.
The sizes of wall blocks of all these types can vary significantly. In addition, this applies not only to different, but also blocks of the same material. For example, the parameters of aerated concrete blocks can be: 600 x 300 x 100, or else: 600 x 200 x 400 mm.
What material is better to build a house from?
The modern production of wall blocks is so diverse that sometimes people do not know what material to choose in order to build a country house. Based on the above characteristics, you need to choose, given how many floors you want to build and in which climatic zone you live. And of course, you need to build on your financial resources. You should not go in cycles in one material, perhaps, you will find it more accessible analogue.
Remember that you can always choose the best option in a given situation. This also applies to the material for the walls of your country house.